Palin uses Sarah PAC to buy 'Going Rogue'

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin used her political action committee to buy thousands of copies of her book to mail to her donors, campaign records show.

The latest campaign records indicate the PAC spent more than $63,000 on what the reports described as "books for fundraising fulfillment" with payments going to her publisher, Harper Collins, and to a Virginia direct mail fundraising business that works with known conservative politicians and commentators, ABC News reported Monday.

The 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate's political action arm, Sarah PAC, also spent $8,000 on specially designed bookmarks. It paid her publisher $20,000 for what ABC said appeared to be costs for a personal photographer and an aide traveling with Palin as she promoted "Going Rogue," listing the expenses as travel repayment to Harper Collins.

Campaign records show all of the expenditures occurred in November and December of 2009, ABC said.

Palin spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton said the book purchases were to reward donors with autographed copies if they contributed at least $100 to the PAC during a specific time frame.

The Federal Elections Commission said Palin isn't the first politician to claim such an expense, ABC said. Because she isn't a candidate or an office-holder, Sarah PAC can buy the book under current law, Jan Baran, a campaign legal expert, told the network.